Sopore, Oct 22: Additional Deputy Commissioner Sopore S.A. Raina said that traffic on the Bypass Bridge here in north Kashmir’s Sopore will be suspended for 10 days from Thursday evening to facilitate urgent repairs, with authorities diverting vehicles through alternate routes to avoid disruption.
Speaking to The Web Story/The Varmul Post ADC Raina said the bridge has developed potholes and requires immediate restoration, prompting the district administration to take up the matter with the Beacon department, which has responded well.
The Deputy Commissioner himself came two to three days ago and checked the bridge. Accordingly, it was decided that it should be repaired. The Beacon is supposed to repair it in 10 days, he said.
Elaborating on the timeline, the ADC said, We have to add compost and mixture in two to three days. It also takes about a week for quarrying. In total, it will take 10 days for the bridge to be repaired.
Asked about traffic management, ADC Raina said the administration decided against keeping the bridge partially open. If our traffic remains one-way for 10 days, then the effectiveness and efficiency of the vehicle will be less. It has been decided that we will close the traffic and divert all the traffic, he said, adding the diversion will start from 8 pm on Thursday.
Under the plan, vehicles coming from Srinagar will go from Sangrama to Krankshan Bridge, then via Hassan Motors to Degree College, Badambagh to Mandi crossing, and onwards to Kupwara. Vehicles from Kupwara will travel via Noorpora, Gantagar to Shalpor, Shalpur to Degree College, and Chankhan Bridge to Srinagar.
We have tried to give different routes so that the vehicles do not cross each other. Otherwise, there can be a problem in the traffic, ADC Raina said, stating that trucks from Mandi have been consulted and will be allowed to move only at night.
The ADC said vendors will be shifted to the new route and traders whose shops fall along it will be moved to footpaths. We have asked all the stakeholders to keep the footpaths empty so that the commuters can move comfortably.
Commercial transporters have been asked to halt only at designated spots. Otherwise, they should not stop anywhere, because if they stop, the chain of vehicles will stop, he said.
ADC Raina said traffic police, JKP, the municipality teams and magistrates are all involved in the exercise, with municipal staff given uniforms so they can be identified from a distance.
Everyone wants to completely repair the road and bridge so that such issues do not arise in the future, he said, seeking public cooperation to make the diversion effective.
